Today I'm in the mood for something a little more frivolous. Therefore, in the interests of nerdy transit fun, here are the 10 largest D.C. regional bus agencies ranked by the quality of their current standard livery:

Number 1: WMATA MetrobusWMATA's new paint job for buses looks great, and the idea to show local and express buses in different colors was an inspired move. My only complaint: That you can't see the local red or express blue from the front, where it would be most useful to riders waiting at bus stops.

Number 2: Fairfax City CUEClean, modern, unique. I'm a big fan. Best bus most Washingtonians have probably never seen.

Number 3: Arlington ARTSimple, but in a good way. The wavy green is instantly recognizable and more fun than the standard stripe-on-white-background.

Number 4: DC CirculatorThe wavy red is good in all the same ways as ART's green, and the addition of yellow adds a little more interest. So why rank Circulator below ART? All those destination names printed on the side of the bus are cluttering and confusing; you can't get to Georgetown on the 14th Street route, so Georgetown shouldn't be in big letters on its side.

Number 5: Fairfax County ConnectorFairfax's ketchup and mustard scheme rounds out the top five as the last of the paint jobs I personally like. Others say it's tacky. What do you think?

Number 6: Montgomery County Ride-OnSolid colors are more noticeable and better looking than horizontal stripes. Ride-On's new livery at least has that going for it. But it seems backwards. Rear-facing chevrons and trim make the bus look like it's perpetually slowing down, and I can't help but think the pastel colors will begin to feel dated quickly. The old paint scheme was a lot better.

Number 7: Prince William Omni-RideThe best of the three bus systems that still use a horizontal stripe on a white background. Omni-Ride tops the other two because its stripe is the thickest.

Number 8: Alexandria DashLooks like its from about 1985. The diagonal bit is something. Not much, but something.

Number 10: Loudoun County TransitThe dishonor of last place goes to Loudoun, for not even trying. Logo sticker on a plain white background. Y-a-w-n.

Honorable mentions: No list of cool bus paint jobs would be complete without mentioning REX, Metro's Go Green, and Dash's streetscape liveries. They're all great, but as special schemes are not eligible for the main ranking.

Dan Malouff is an Arlington County transportation planner who blogs independently at BeyondDC.com. The Local Blog Network is a group of bloggers from around the D.C. region who have agreed to make regular contributions to All Opinions Are Local.